Fingerprint cardholder



Sept. 29, 1942.

J. M. MILLER 2,297,066 v FINGERPRINT GARD HOLDER Filed Jan. 12, 1942 4 Z 53"''f35jl7 INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FINGERPRINT CARDHOLDER Jacob M. Miller, Chica-go, Ill.

Application January 12, 1942, Serial No. 426,375

3 Claims.

This invention relates to record card holders and more particularly to a card holder' of the type used for steadying fingerprint form cards.

An object of this invention is to provide a device of the class described which will be simple in construction, economical in manufacture and highly efficient in use.

Another object of my invention is the provision of record card holder which will clampingly hold record cards upon insertion therein and permit ready and speedy adjustment of such record card with a minimum number of operative parts.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a card holder of light material yet so constructed as to obtain a maximum rigidity of such material.

A further object of my invention is to provide a portable record card holder which is relatively light in weight and which will not present a bulky or cumbersome unit when carried from place to place.

Other objects and advantages of my present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds in View of the drawing in Which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of my new record card holder illustrating its placement and use;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional detail of the same transversely of the mid portion thereof as seen in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a'fragmentary perspective view of one edge portion of my new device showing the same open to receive or remove a card;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken through a latch unit embodied in my device and as seen from line 4 4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail through one end rail'of my holder as seen along line 5-5 in Fig. 1; and' 1 Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view crosswse of the holder and through one end rail thereof to illustrate a modified form of my invention for attaching thedevice to glass top or other highly polished surfaces.

Various and sundry devices have been provided for holding record cards or the like for presenting a field, on the card, 'adapted to receive an impression or other hieroglyphics. In the art of making fingerprint records, uniformity,

clearness and neatness are prime essentials. It is of the utmost importance that when an impression is made of a persons iinger upon a card, the card be held perfectly still, absolutely flat and free of any bulges or ripples as a result of which the card may snap, by its inherent libre structure, into a different buckled condition when a person presses down upon the card. The presence of bulges in the card will cause a sidewise movement of the card surface relative to the linger being printed and hence result in an impression which is smudged and diiiicult to read.

It is among the salient objects of this invention to overcome such objectionable characteristics and to assure against faulty records,- thus eliminating the possibility of confusion and error. To this end I have provided a fingerprint record card holder generally indicated at ID which includes a base member II which is adaptedto lie upon a counter or table top T and present a positively iiat surface I2 upon which a card C is adapted to be positioned. The base II has its forward edge I3 bent downwardly in a relatively graceful curve I4 to produce an apron I5 adapted to lie parallel with the forward edge of the counter T. The lower end of the apron I5 is rolled to provide a boss formation I6 within which is carried a shaft I1.

A uniform card has been adopted in the art of fingerprint recording and the card C shown in conjunction with my device in Fig. 1 is illustrative of such form card. To accommodate such card C the base Il is wide enough to receive such card and also to receive a pair'of guide rails I8, which are fixed upon the base in spaced relation with respect to each other and to permit sliding movement of the card over the base II. The boss formation I6 at the bottom of the apron I5 is of a length equal to the clearance between the inner edges of the rails I8 so as to permit the end portions I9 of the shaft I'I to extend free and clear of the base II by reason of the cut-out portion formed adjacent the portions I9.

A frame element 20 is arranged to cooperate with the base II to provide a passage for the card C and also to clampingly engage the card and hold the same flatly upon the surface I2.

The frame 20 is shaped complementary to the shape of the base II (Fig. 2) so as to overlie the same and provide a space for the card C. Hence the frame 20 has a horizontal frame portion 2li' and apron 2I depending therefrom which terminates as at 22 just above the boss 'formation I5 except at its end edges 23, each of which extend down and are coiled about the respective end portions of the shaft I9, thus pivotally mounting the frame 25 upon the base II and with respect thereto.

The horizontal portion 20 of the frame 2B has its end edges cut away as at 24 to provide a clearance for the parallel rails I8. A portion 25 of such cut-away end edges is retained and is bent upwardly at right angle to the horizontal portion of the frame (Fig. with the two upturned edges fitting neatly between the parallelly arranged guide rails I8. By this construction the frame member is reinforced along its end edges which are relatively Vweakened by reason of an opening 26 Which is formed in th-e horizontal portion 20'. Y

The opening 26 provides a clear field upon the card C and within the particular portion of the Y chart then being used for recording purposes. Further, the longitudinal margins of the opening 26 provide a fiat presser surface against the underlying card. It will be noted that vthere is a slight clearance between the edges of the card C and the guide rails I8, thus eliminatingany possibility of the card buckling between these rails. Likewise the end edges of the frame 23 have suiiicient width (Fig. 5) to assure the flattening of the card C when the frame 2i) is positioned over the base I I.

Means for holding the frame 2 in clamping relation with respect to the base II includes a latch structure generally indicated as 21. This latch means 21 comprises a keeper slot 28 formed in each of the guide rails I8 in a plane aligned with a flange 29 forming'the upper free end of the frame 20. The rails I8 are raised slightly adjacent the slots 28 and have a beveled edge 28 formed thereon to provide a cam surface for bolt members 30. These slots 28 are adapted to receive the ends ofY bolt members 3! slidably'arranged upon the flange 29. YThe long edges 3I of the flange 29 are bent back upon the flange with the sliding bolts arranged thereon so as to provide a guideway'32 into which the bolts Y 30 may be slid from the ends.

Midway of its ends the flange 29 is provided with a central supporting means 33V which is formed by bending a strip of metal back upon itself to provide a cylindrical portion 34 having horizontally disposed leg formations seated with the guideway 32 and being fixed to the flange 29 by solder or the like. A spring 35 is disposed within the cylinder 34 and a pair of plugs 36 provided, with one plug in each end of the cylinder and bearing against the spring 35 and the free ends of Vsuch plugs disposed to engage upstanding gripping formations 31 formed as a part of the bolt members 30. After the bolt members are mounted in the guideway 32 as aforesaid, a small Y detent 38 formed of one of the edges 3l is bent upwardly to stop the withdrawal of the bolts 30 beyond a point sufcient to leave a keeper engaging extension of the bolt (see Fig. fl).

By this latch means 21 the frame 20 will be held firmly against the'card C and the card C against the smooth surface I2 on the base I I, all sides of the frame 20 pressing upon the card uniformly, and the card being held in a fixed relation Ywith respect to the finger being printed, thus removing any danger of the card buckling, moving or otherwise being jarred during the impression operation.

Fig. 6 illustrates a form of ailixing means which is readily adaptable to my present invention. Such means includes a pair of rubber suction cupsllll for each guide rail I8 and bolt means 4I for fastening the cups 40 to the rail I8 and base II. Such bolt means are adapted to hold the base plate II in position with respect to the guide rails I8 in addition to fixing the suction cups 4i) thereto. With the device illustrated in Fig. 6, the unit Ii] may be placed upon any convenient surface without fear of marring or scratching the same, it being remembered that units are carried about from place to place and fingerprint stations established almost anywhere when necessity requires.

Having thus described my particular structure, it is apparent that I have provided a portable fingerprint record card holder which will eliminate preliminary settings and laborious adjustments such as to save time in fingerprinting and to speed up the process 0f fingerprinting, particularly where the masses are being recorded, without fear of losing the minute characteristics which are so essential to identity of persons by the fingerprinting art.

` Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a fingerprint record card holder, a base member, a pair of guide rails arranged on said base to provide a rectangular field on said base, a frame member having an apertured face adapted to be positioned in spaced relation with respect to said base` means hingedly connecting said frame to said base along one marginal edge thereof and latch means for said frame and base, said latch means including a pair of reciprocable bolt members arranged for sliding movement relative to said frame, and keeper means formed in said guide rails adapted to receive said reciprocable bolt members. Y 2. In a device of the class described including a horizontal base member and a frame member hingedly mounted along one edge thereof for swinging movement with respect thereto, the combination of a pair of guide rails on said base adapted to guide card elements slidingly inserted therein, upturned reinforcing ribs formed along the respective end edges of said frame member and adapted to cooperate with said guide rails to maintain the frame member in juxtaposition relative to card elements, and latch means for said framey and said base and including keeper slots formed in said guide rails, and bolt means slidably arranged on said frame element and adapted to engage in said keeper slots.

3. In a record card holder for fingerprint form cards, said holder including an L shaped base and a complementary L shaped open-faced frame member hingedly arranged on the base along the toe of said L, the combination of a pair of guide rails arranged in. parallel relation on said base along the side edges thereof, and latch means for said frame and base and adapted to clampingly urge the former toward the latter, said latch means including keeper slots formed in said guide rails, said frame member including an upper ange, a pair of sliding bolts arranged on the upper flange of said frame member, and in alignment with said keeper slots, a cylindrical housing centrally disposed on said upper flange of said frame member, spring means in said cylindrical housing, sliding plunger means arrangedrbetween said bolt means and said spring element and adapted to cooperate with the latter to urge said bolt means into latching engagement with said keeper slots.

JACOB M. MILLER. 

